


Mind Games

by Nenene



Category: Prey (Video Game 2017)
Genre: Aftermath, M/M, Morgan Yu is mad but brilliant, Narcissism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 08:30:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17825363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nenene/pseuds/Nenene
Summary: Imagine if everything is a lie. Are you even you?And if not, would you even like you?





	Mind Games

**Author's Note:**

> I love rarepairs, even if it hurt so much.  
> This fandom is so small, but there are amazing stories so let`s add one more.  
> You can guess my choice of ending pretty easy btw...  
> Mistakes all mine!

Death was a last choice he made for himself. Not like there were much of one after all he went through, but nonetheless. He could try to escape, after all, but even now, when he sat at the vip seat to witness destruction of the station, he could hear it. Faint murmur of the distant and distorted voices of the Coral, searching for him, trying to get into his head. Trying to prevent. 

“Too late for it, asshole.” Morgan said with a wild grin, watching as a great mass of darkness near one of the station complexes outside of the observation window condensed into familiar form of a Nightmare. Cool mechanical voice counted down last seconds of his life. 

“You did a right thing, Morgan.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement as his mechanical alter ego, January, flew closer. 

It still sometimes blew his mind that at some point in time he was that person. The one about whom he read in those impersonal and sometimes horrifying reports. Morgan who was so devoid of any empathy for a fellow human beings that he had no problems with experimenting and even processing other humans for “science”. Who was egotistical enough to make multiple copies of himself, and not just once but annually. Who willingly undergone process of mutilating his very self again and again, just to get some new shinier powers. Well last one he couldn’t truly hold against himself as he did use those powers to survive. The man who didn’t leave him even one positive thing to live for.  
It was about as hard to associate himself with that Morgan as with January. 

“Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.” His grin wiped out as he sagged into a very plush and comfortable chair, watching as a Nightmare made its last dash. Countdown was at the last digits. He was tired. Just a little more and everything will end. He did all he could. As best as he could.

“Micaela… Alex. Will they make it?” He did regret a lot of things. Past Morgan saw to it, leaving him with a lots of unfinished ends and sad stories. Most of which he didn’t even remember. Still, she was courageous and perhaps given time he could fall in love with her, in another circumstances. But now she was a complete stranger. One he hoped to save, just to prove he is capable of feelings. To save one “maybe”, that could be. 

The worst part was - deep down in his very self he was afraid to know the answer to that maybe. Was he even capable of loving another? After all he found about himself? He was not sure the answer would be positive.

“I don’t approve your actions about them.” January wirled in place, his little claws shifted.

“We scanned their vessel. It was clear.” He bit back, holding chair’s armrests tightly. Mechanical voice counted down from ten. Nightmare was close, but it was late and Coral knew that. Yellow web visible all other the station like a cocoon shined brighter and brighter as if trying to brace itself. 

“It was… your choice.” Voice of January seemed closer and farther at the same time. World was wrapping on itself, or it seemed like it to him. Time almost stopped, but not quite. 

“Two.. one…”

He closed his eyes. His choice. His consequences. At least it meant something. 

*****

Only it didn’t. It was all a test. Cruel and meaningless. In that all his choices, hard and soul destroying as they were - it was just a simulation. A game to condition him. Once again he was played with by Alex and, probably, Morgan Yu.

And the worst part was that this experiment was successful. 

They did take part of the whole and made him… It… feel like It was something less and more at the same time. Something capable of emotions and feelings far beyond its purpose. Made It question… made It feel… crave even. They severed It’s connection, separated It, only to leave It alone with no hope to reconnect, to ever regain any closeness. For It was truly alone now. Unique in Its existence. 

Dispassionately It watched Its tendrils, instead of were once It saw hands. It’s eyes, if It even had one, traced man before It. Alex, always Alex. A little worse to wear, It supposed simulation was of some years back.

Alex listened to a report of the operators with a satisfied gleam of a scientist whose experiment gone right. Machine droned It’s achievements as if It just completed a game. Which It had. It had a very strange wish to laugh and laugh, as It heard how merciful It was in Its run. How passionate in Its quest not to hurt anyone. 

It’s tendrils clenched and relaxed. _I guess, I am a Phantom._ Come a lonely thought. It felt slight disassociation with Its body, which was not surprising after all this time thinking Itself human. 

Then came Micaela’s voice and something tried to clench inside. _Phantom pains_ , It thought with a slight amusement at the pun. It wasn’t supposed to feel amusement, or pain. Physical or otherwise. It was not supposed to feel. Period. 

_What does it make me then?_

It half listened to the words between Alex and operators. Everything was a lie. And not only, it was a deliberate brainwashing with a purpose to groom It into… what? A disposable foot soldier? A sleeping agent to send back into coral? 

A virus. A disease. 

They purposely made It feel compassion, need, protectiveness. Just to send It to die for them. 

It was angry. Desperate. Trapped.  
There was no way out.

Do they thought that all this will make It feel inclined to help? Or did they speculate that It would not have any other choice. Since It had no place anymore and the only end was death anyway. 

Alex turned to It with a pleased smile. He was so sure of their success. It wished to destroy him.

“I think you are confused right now. But it is understandable.” He made a gesture to the screens behind him. There were carnage and destruction all other them. Typhon got to Earth somehow after all. 

“We need your help.”

_Not really._ It thought. _You always were a shitty liar, Alex. You need me to die for you, so you won’t have to._

“We didn’t have a good start. But we can do this. Together. Help us.” Alex slowly moved his hand forward. 

It was a choice with no choice. Either It refuse and die immediately, or It will die later anyway. From humans, Coral or loneliness - It doesn’t matter which. It felt tired and hopeless. It was a Frankenstein monster all other again. 

It looked at the Alex and his hand and felt rage, but dulled under Its realization. It could kill him right now. It probably should even. 

It’s tendrils condensed, slowly reaching forward. To pull, to pierce. 

“Hope I didn’t miss anything significant.” Deep familiar voice sounded right after a hidden door was open. It head swerved towards the sound as if by itself. There, right in his human glory stood Morgan Yu himself. Living, a little bit aged, absolute perfect prove of its damnation. 

_Morgan._

“Oh just a biggest breakthrough we had in years.” Alex looked very annoyed, but it was his typical expression, so It couldn’t decide was this intervention coincidental or intentional. “We were just about to get help from our friend here.”

“Is that so?” Morgan’s expression was kind, but his eyes were piercing and calculating. His lips upturned a little. 

He knew, somehow. 

“Well then. Let me greet you then.” He made a couple steps forward and reached forward with his hand. Straight posture, confidant, knowing. Cold.  
This was a man glimpses of whom he saw in all those reports. Suddenly It was curious of what really transpired on Talos I all those years ago. This Morgan obviously didn’t go down with a station. Were there any other survivors except him and Alex? Were they even there at all? And if they were how much of a human was he now?

It was curious. 

Slowly it’s tendrils moved to curl around other’s hand, firmly but carefully engulfing it. Morgan’s smile got a little bit bigger. And then It felt it, a connection akin to It’s former one with a Coral, but not quite. Easier, not so powerful but clear and stronger by a second. It shivered. What is a distinction between human and humanoid phantom with feelings after all?

_What do you see when you look in the mirror?_

“Morgan.” His voice was lower and for a second It thought that his eyes were bloodshot, as if right after neuromode installment. It was not sure if that was an introduction or an answer to Its question. It removed It’s tendril with haste. It didn’t really want to know. All of this looked like another clever plot to make It help. And worst part was - it worked. It was curious even if It didn’t know why. Perhaps It was still clinging scientist part of old Morgan in It, or maybe their nature as a vanguard of Coral’s exploration.

This man was ruthless, driven and was not bound by any moral convictions. In a sense he was more a Phantom than It right now. It should have killed him. Them. Perhaps even itself. But It didn’t. And so they deemed It safe and left alone. 

It didn’t need food or light, or even air but It was bored. And so It began to fiddle with electronics in the room. It’s tendrils we’re not that used to manipulating purely human design, but It managed. There were books and reports, clearly doctored for It, but still entertaining enough. From them It learned about scientific breakthroughs of the last years, limited as they were in a world of constant ruin and fighting. 

They tried to weaponize Typhon type neuromods, only to realize that it allowed Coral to turn and manipulate those with them all the easier. And so they banned it, restricting only to a limited individuals. Which made it all the more curios that one of the leading scientists was allowed to keep his. Although it was probably because they didn’t not want to risk all his knowledge, It surmised. 

As a byproduct they found a way to connect to Coral for a time. And that was were It came to play. They speculated that with an introduction of an empathy neurons Coral will either destroy itself of retreat. Actually, it was a very recent and accidental discovery, as Morgan told It. 

This too was a recent and accidental development for It. Their “evenings” with Morgan. It thought that it would be left alone right until a moment of introduction into the Coral. And it was fine. As fine as a semi sentient being could be with a mean fatality streek. It knew it will die, It just began to think that it will be of boredom by now. 

And then he came. After some time of loneliness Morgan just came and stayed for a time. At first It ignored him and it was fine. But then It’s curiosity got better of it and It crept closer to a man sitting on a small sofa. There wasn’t much in this room there they put It. Sofa, table with a computer and a bad, for some reason. But It was not complaining. 

And so It got closer and Morgan showed It his papers. This was when he explained how they stumbled by accident in their experiments on Phantoms, that by introducing them to emotional stimuli they can disturb Phantoms internal pattern enough to render them unable to proceed commands from the Coral. Which would be a perfect weapon if a process of introduction wasn’t that cumbersome. 

And then came an idea of implanting emotions directly onto a part of a system and reintegrating it back. Thus his project begin. 

“It was hard to get a perfect carrier, as all Phantoms were made by a weaver from a corpses, thus rendering them perfectly clean of any residual emotional inclination.” Morgan’s voice was deep and somehow instill deep sense of familiarity and comfort. It found that it liked it, and was somehow attracted to. Morgan seemed to be perfectly at ease with a hulking figure of a ever shifting Phantom sitting right next to him. 

_What changed? How did I came to be?_

“Oh we knew the solution to this.” Morgan smiled, but it was not a very happy smile, and looked directly into its eyes. “We just needed a body of someone who willingly introduced Typhon neuromods in themselves prior to their change. One by one. Gradually changing themselves until a point of no return.”

Morgan left after that, his face was blank once more, but It thought that in his eyes were some kind of emotions, It never saw there before.  
It was thinking, remembering as It was introduced to powers in simulations. How it was tempting to keep putting more and more, how clear It could hear Coral by the end. Even if It didn’t put all that much. 

But what if It did? He did, a man in Its memory. What would happen to him? Would he turned into It one day? Did he? Was It a human at some point? 

Was It close to Morgan?

Morgan didn’t visit It for some time after that. Alex came by but It was not interested in him at all. There were no connection with him, It tried, discreetly, at some point to touch Alex. Only to find nothing happened he couldn’t hear or feel It. Not like with Morgan. 

It was getting restless then Morgan came next time. It needed to know. 

_Were I human once?_

Morgan looked a little bit startled at the question, he just made it inside the room. He slowly closed the door, as if to give himself some time to think. 

“Yes.” He finally answered and made it to the sofa, looking at It expectantly and calculating. As if awaiting Its next reaction. 

It wanted to know if It was a “volunteer” of the experiment, or was It one of the scientist. Once again It was curious. But at the same time It was not sure what would it change if It knew. It could never go back after all.  
And so It continued to hover near the sofa, processing, It’s tendrils curling against it selves.

Morgan got up and approached It. Slowly, as if he was afraid to scare It. Which was just ridiculous. It was he who should be afraid It, but he never did. His hand gently laid upon Its tendril, stopping all motions in second. It looked at him, startled. It was only second time he touched It and it was overwhelmed by their connection. 

_Were I someone you knew?_

Morgan smile become a little bit wider, as he ever so slowly traced his hand up It`s tendril. 

“Yes. More than anyone.” It was fascinated by the look of human hand on Its appendage. So breakable, so weak. And yet so unyielding and daring. Its mind was overwhelmed with new stimuli.

Suddenly It distanced a little. 

_Were I Micaela?_

Morgan laughed at this and made a motion as if to kiss It. It didn’t think it was tangible enough for it, It wasn’t even sure what state of matter it was. But… It felt it through their connection. It’s resident memory of being human flared to life granting It amalgamation of feeling of being kissed. It felt nice. 

“Not quite. But close.” Smiled Morgan braking their kiss. “You know…” He pulled It to the bed. And now It had an inkling of its purpose here. “Typhon can’t process strong stimuli.” Morgan laid down on bed, pulling It onto himself. “They are just not made for it.”

_Are you trying to kill me?_

If It could smile - It would. Their connection grew stronger and stronger with every touch. And at the same time it almost felt like It were human again. Human enough to kiss, to touch, to feel. 

To want. 

Morgan laughed again, breathy and low. His eyes were shining. For a second there It thought that they shined with a Coral gold. But It quickly were pulled into another kiss. It’s tendrils moved all other Morgan’s body, caressing it and removing all unnecessary clothing antil he was left there naked and panting with need. 

“It is not my purpose here.” Morgan pulled It closer, encasing It between his legs, feeling It’s weight all other his body. Wanting, needing. 

It was overwhelmed by feelings, by sensations, physical and mental. It’s shape changed adapting to a growing need to be closer, to be in him, to be everywhere. It knew why he did it, but if that was Its way to go - then It was not all that opposed to it. 

At first push Morgan made a loud pleased moan. And after that he could only hold on tight. It was glorious as he knew it would be. It was what he was made for, he knew it. 

At one point Alex told It how exactly it was to be integrated into the Coral. Morgan made a machine for this purpose. Because of course he made it. And It gathered that Alex was not all that pleased with that. Either it was an accomplishment that bothered Alex (his little brother upstarted him AGAIN) or a machine itself It didn’t know. And as they could not communicate as well as with Morgan It couldn’t ask. 

It just remembered his remark at the exit: “As always, Morgan can only care enough about himself.”

And here at the presepi of the great unknown, with a man in Its arms with a glowing eyes the color of the Coral, with the whole might of the new connection to it - It laughed as Its feelings surged with a renewed passion all through the Colar`s connection, breaking it. 

*****

_Defeating alien threat with an orgasm._

It felt silent laugh from the man underneath. 

“And with a copy of yourself nonetheless.” Their eyes met. Connection quiet and peaceful, only theirs now. 

_What now?_

“It is your choice, Morgan.”


End file.
